Step 10: TV Time

Step 11: What I learned

This project taught me a lot. I'm not sure if I'll be doing this the same way if I ever try another one of these. If I do, I will definitely take th...

This Instructable is for the Skittlespider A.T.S (All Together System) also known as "The Contraption"

This project turned out to be harder than I expected. In a few ways it was easier too, so I can't say it was an overall hard or easy project. The difficulty varies between the steps. I thought it was a lot of fun. I've still got some finishing touches to do, but I think this is good for now.

Basically I took an old broken computer monitor and cleaned out everything. I kept the empty shell and put an LCD TV in the front. Behind that is a Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Gamecube, Playstation, and an Xbox. All cleverly disguised as a standard CRT monitor. (Unless you see it from the sides, or get in close)

This All-in-one system takes up much less space and surprises the heck out of people when they figure out what it is!

Here are the supplies that I used to make this:-Old Monitor-Nintendo Entertainment System-Super Nintendo-Nintendo 64-Gamecube-Playstation-Xbox-LCD TV-Video Switcher-A wide assortment of screwdrivers(standard flat-head and Phillips, a precision set, a TORX star screwdriver, a tri-wing screwdriver for those Nintendo screws, and a set of Nintendo bolt screwdrivers)-A dremel with cutting bits and plenty of cutting wheels(They get stuck in the plastic and break often, because the plastic melts as you cut.)-A jigsaw-Plenty of hot glue and epoxy-lots of screws and standoffs(I used some meant for computers, so all the screws are the same type and size)-A little bit of Energon and a lot of luck(Sorry, but I was watching a lot of Transformers while making this)

These instructions are not exactly in the order that I made this. I did this project sporatically and when I had time, so I did different steps all at once. In order to make this more coherent, I simplified the steps to make it easier to follow. (Feel free to improvise and expand upon my methods) Also some of the pictures for each step are of the finished setup, because I didn't take enough pictures while making this. So if you see things suddenly plugged in, that is why.

Also, just to warn you, most of these steps contain similar information, because I did pretty much the same thing every step. Many times the beginning and end of a step are almost exactly the same. However I put the information there just in case some people skip steps. This way they are still getting the information.

One of my biggest inspirations for this is the infamous Yoshi Boxx from the old Tech Tv. After seeing that I knew I wanted to try something similar someday. Many thanks to Ben-Heck who was also an inspiration to me to try something like this. Looking through his site gave me a lot of ideas. Even though everyone is making systems portable these days, I thought I would go the other direction. Also thanks to Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft for supplying the hardware that made this possible.

Also, for those interested in making one of these, here is a cost estimate for the project:

Total cost - $400-450(If you had to buy everything. If I had just made this with my existing systems, it would have been about $300. Or the cost of the TV and the building supplies. If you don't have the tools used, they will need to be factored in too.)

Parts:Monitor - Free (You could probably call some local companies and see if they have any broken/unwanted monitors.)LCD TV - $200-250NES - $21SNES - $26N64 - $25PS1 - $25Gamecube - $26Xbox - I used my own, but probably about the same as the other consoles.Video switch - $5Epoxy - about $10Hot glue - about $5Latches - $12Extension cord - $10-15

I actually owned a copy of each system I used in this project, but I bought one of each (Except the Xbox) on Ebay to use. That way I didn't destroy the systems that I knew and loved. Also most were owned by my family and not just me. Just remember, the key to Ebay shopping is patience. You set a goal for what you are willing to pay and wait for an auction that meets that goal.

**Update 9/25/09**Thank you very much Instructables! I finally have myself a featured tutorial. Hopefully it will not be my last, because I've got a few things planned for the near future (if I can find the time).

so do you basically just need to get a computer, empty out all of the technology and put a load of consoles inside it if u do can you tell me how to make one that just holds a playstation one, a playstation 2 and an xbox 360 i would reeeeaally appreciate it if you could tell or show me that

wow hey thought could i wire it up for a central drive for xbox playstein game cube and have 2 on top for otheres also could i add a xbox 360 i do know pepole sell them now really cheap with ring of death and i know how to fix them so yaha this is cool

Maybe if you used a computer disc drive you could get through the PS1's black shield. I know from past experience (before my disc drive stopped burning discs) that you can burn PS1 discs onto DVD-R discs through your computer and still play them on a PS1.

Another thing: A good improvement/addition to your A.T.S would be to use the door from the PS2 Slim or the slide from the PS2 Phat instead of having a bare PS1 drive on the top. (Not trying to be critical, just saying that it would look cool to do that.)

just go to a friend who has PS1 games, borrow one, then use your computer's CD ROM drive to burn the game to a DVD-R (It works about 75% of the time, and it can ruin a disc if you copy a certain one too much, i recommend making a master from a high-quality DVD-R then making copies on cheap ones)

Yeah, the good old disc-swap technique. I used to use that to play Japanese games on my American PS1.

And yes, it is a hit-and-miss thing. There were times when I got so tired of trying that once the game was working, I no longer wanted to play it. Later on I figured out how to do the disc-swap a little bit easier. I bet I have forgotten the timing now...

he skittlespider, could you try to get some pics of the xbox power cable if you can? (the internal connection to the mainboard) im building a small form factor pc and mini itx psu's are so expensive...

I think the best picture you are going to get is in step 7 of this instructable. It is the last picture. Sorry, but that part is pretty firmly attached because i didn't want it coming loose. I don't think I could take a better picture than the one I have already.

i have learned just know i was taking apart my old ps1 never touch the circuit when it plugged in i got shock and it surprised me i hate the cord i was searching for 2 days what was wrong and it was the cord was loose

Hey a quick note the Playstation one cd drive shouldnt be left open like that because it releases laser radiation which can be harmful over time. A simple fix would be to put a plastic box over it and have it lift up and down to put a disk in. Also samething with the gamecube.

Considering the PS1 and Gamecube are class 1 lasers, I think the radiation risk is not enough to worry about. They use the same lasers as a cd player or an optical mouse. As long as I don't stare into it for any period of time I should be perfectly safe.

Dude shouldve used a arcrillic pc case... and tooken the time to make the drives fit in a atx case and soldered on custom cartridge headers so you could mount them with a ribbon cable and have them come out front of the case

Honestly, I had planned to put an Atari into this, but I didn't have one on hand. (I also ran out of room, so I didn't buy one). I've never owned a Sega system, so I hadn't thought to include one of those.

Last time I checked, Lots of wires + not much space = a LOT of heat. While it's a great idea, I'd consider installing water cooling or something to stop the thing from melting. I realise only one console would be active at any one time but still there's not much breathing room in there for all of those consoles =P

Yeah, I see what you mean. I haven't noticed any real heat problem in it yet though. I don't think there is any chance of it melting. There is a lot more breathing room in this thing than they had in their original cases, so I think it will be fine.

Now for any future multi-system projects, I plan to put at least a fan inside, because I plan to use a smaller case the next time. Might look into water cooling too, thanks for the idea.

this is a good project i suppose if you have lots of time to waste and nothing better to do but why not just spend $30 on a used xbox 1 system, soft mod it for about $10 in parts and upgrade the harddrive for $80 to a 500gb and use xbox media center and emulators to be able to play all the xbox, snes, nes, n64, sega, gameboy, gameboy color, gameboy advance, and every other emulaotr ther is and have all the games on the hard drive and then all that fits together in the xbox which is very portable and can hook up to any tv or monitor with an adapter cable total cost around $120 and total time around 2-10 hours most of that is copying files which you dont have to be around for and no soldering.

Well, that does sound more convenient and definitely easier. But the point of this was actually to avoid using an emulator. I may still see about doing this though, because if it is that easy, then I could always modify the Xbox that is already in my system.

Just so you know though, this project requires no soldering. I've actually just recently learned how to solder. (Kind of funny, because I've been playing around with electronics for years)

oh i read wrong though you said you learned to solder on this project, but yah my thing is just its cool to have this i suppose but for the amount of time/work/parts/possiblibity of easily breaking, parts going bad and hard to diagnose you should play with an xbox they do allot of stuff and you can customize the hell out of it, check out xbox-scene.com forums are great and the guides for everything very detailed.

dood this is probably 1 of the coolest things ive seen on here ive always dreamed of something 2 play all the diff console games on 1 thing i love the way u took all these things that bring joy in life lol and wrapped it up in one package! geneious you are maybe a mad scientist of franken consoles lol but yes this is awesome and im glad 2 kno there is @ least 1 other person out there with that crazy dream keep making stuff homie cuz this is awesome 10 star invention in my book!

Well, I'm glad you liked it! Once I can find the time, I've got another multi-system project that I have had halfway done for a few months. I plan to finish that up in the next couple of months if all goes well.

I just recently started learning how to solder, so I may try something like that later. But it sounds like more work than is needed to me. I think the "take it apart and put the stuff in there" method works the best for me. (That is a great way to describe it, thanks)

Yeah, it is a pretty easy way of doing things. I tried building a pc inside of a milk crate once. I seperated everything with some cheap rubber car floor mats and used the holes on the side to put the connectors in. The PS1 Disk drive thing seems really dangerous on that though, the laser might shoot you in the eye by accident, and you go blind 8( but still good job!!

Aww... Haha I just realized that isn't the gold edition. There were a limited amount of gold versions produced, and are in a gold-plastic cartridge. Those ones are the best versions because of silly errors and glitches that are possible.

It is probably worth a lot of money. Wait a little bit in the future, and you could make a little fortune. Many game collectors will want it. Just make sure it has gold plastic, and not the grey plastic like in step 4, pic 3 (not original(I think)). TO be sure, look on youtube how to do the swordless link glitch, and there should be stuff where you ride on Epona and wierd things happen.

I would leave out the SNES, NES, N64, and cram a Wii in their place, since it can play all those games (once you buy them unfortunately). Plus Xbox can emulate them also. If I did this project, I would use an Xbox, Xbox 360, Wii, and a PS2. That would be awesome.

Well, that is very true. The Wii does have a lot of potential for something like this. I just like the old games better than their downloaded counterparts. I had originally planned for a PS2 in my system, but I ran out of room.

well, the SNES, NES emulate great by the wii, the N64 games really need their original controller. The C buttons are a huge part of games, and sometimes, it's just awkward to use the C stick on a gamecube, or the classic controller. (such as starfox, or Legend of Zelda, etc)

Very nice! My only suggestion for making it easier on yourself, is next time build a LINUX EMULATION SYSTEM, and include (physically) the two systems it cant emulate, the xbox and ps2. This would take up less space, and then you can use only xbox and ps2 controllers to run any of the systems (smart joy usb for the pc does this)

Thanks for linking me, looks cool! The only things I see that need work are the place where you put in playstation games (that disk is very unprotected), and that you put all the steps backwards (from the looks of it, you wouldn't need to take what you already had out if you did your steps backwards).

i'v had idea's of makeing something like this, but never tried, for a few tips: next time get a few of the units cloned ver. (like the nes) smaller parts/boards, also try and perplan ahead with drilling =P, but the computer case idea sounds awsome aswell and will make mounting everything a lot easyer =)

Yeah, I will definitely try and use the newer cloned systems next time. I just figured the originals would be better to work with for a first time mod. Also I had plenty of space to work with in the monitor case, so I didn't really have to worry about the board sizes. I actually did preplan all of the parts (See the last picture of step 1) But once I actually started installing everything I had to change that plan for various reasons. I tried to plan ahead as much as possible, but I didn't really know what to plan for when I started this project.

Cool concept :> Do you plan to upgrade the video connection at any point? You have that nice TV and everything's hooked up through composite. The GameCube and Xbox can both do Component. The other systems (save for the NES) can do S-Video. If you really want to get ambitious, you can take the RGB video from the above systems that do S-Video and use a converter (such as a JROK board) to convert the signal to Component, it'll look really crisp. And if you want to get more ambitious, you can replace the PPU chip in the NES with one from the NES-based arcade hardware (Playchoice, VS), and wire the RGB from that into the Component converter board. Just a thought I had since you have that nice modern-day display using a video connection that was popular back when the NES was brand new.

Would I need an s-video converter of some sort? I don't remember seeing any sort of s-video connector on any of these systems. All of them have the red/white/yellow cord. Is that composit? (Except the NES only has a red/yellow)

Well, actually I think everything looks fine to me as it is. I've played a few games to test things out and I didn't notice any difference from the old days. I may apply this suggestion to my finishing touches though. It would be interesting to see if things look different. Honestly though, it sounds a little too ambitious to me. But we'll have to wait and see, because I am intrigued now.

About This Instructable

Bio:I consider myself an average guy. I have a bachelors in graphic design and an associates in web design. I like tv, movies, music, video games, and anime. I do some video editing and animation as a ...read more »